Acting on Impulse
by Josiyx
Summary: When the new blond on the bus hates you, it might seem like giving up is a good idea.But then Axel was never very good at knowing when to quit. And if he can make Roxas like him over the phone, he can't possibly hate him in real life right? AkuRoku hiatus
1. I

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Kingdom Hearts, Donald and Goofy would turn evil and you'd get Demyx in your party. And there'd be a lot more blood. Be glad I don't.

**Author's Notes: **Wow, it's been a year since I last played in fanfiction world. Time which I've spent mostly…doing nothing. But then, **kena-san** started me on playing Kingdom Hearts and got me back in on it. So here's an AU fic while you wait for the true masters to update their stories.

--

It was seemingly normal for a Tuesday morning. Birds were chirping outside, and men with pink hair were humming James Bond music while studying chem. notes. Perfectly ordinary morning occurrences. Much like the suave way Axel was hanging off the rails of the bus, having given up the last seat to an old lady. Just him being his usual charming, completely thoughtful self. All of this was completely commonplace. Those first daylight hours weren't entirely uneventful though. A fresh face that was inches away from his own had made sure of that.

Not that there was anything wrong with something interesting happening on the bus. The boy standing in front of him was short and had the most amazing bed head he'd ever seen, granted, but Axel had already dismissed that as rather sexy and his type. He'd always assumed that his own type was more along the lines of 'human, and not hideous' but the kid fit that too. He wasn't looking too bad himself either, with a rather expensive outfit that blared 'I am gorgeous and screwable!' to the world quite clearly. Most of the eyes on the vehicle were directed at him while his were down on the blond in front of him.

His voice was being all sultry and cool when he leant forward all casually too, a bonus when he was seducing someone in about ten seconds. He'd managed to get Roxas's name and number without even trying, and the younger boy had stammered a goodbye as he'd been dragged away by his friends, looking all mournful back at him. And that was how it had started.

…In the redhead's fantasy that was. Of course, it was somewhat close to the truth, except Marluxia was whistling something closer to Beauty and the Beast rather than humming, but it was still getting a few glances. Mind, it was September, and the other passengers of the Route 13 bus had somehow forgotten the flamboyant teen and his love of show tunes. At eight in the morning. When normal people were not happy enough to be humming or singing. Ah well, at least he hadn't tried to start a dance number again.

Past that, the entire little fantasy was altered from reality to protect Axel's dignity and pride. Not that he had much of either, but at the time he'd had an illusion of it, before it got tugged down. Seducing was better than drooling and making a fool of himself. Fate and True Love had always had it out for him before, but today they'd decided to join forces to _really_ mess up his life. First he was wearing the worst stained shirt he owned, with a large duffel bag and jeans missing half the fabric. Then he'd lost out on a seat to the hag who always seemed to get there before him- possibly because he never ran for the bus until the last possible second.

That was all pretty standard crappiness, so then the world had decided to throw him a curveball amidst the sea of normalness. Honestly, when the bus had pulled up, he'd have been better off screaming and running home, rather than rushing forward into a bus full of _differentness_ that he was probably better off not knowing about. Stepping on, Axel hadn't noticed anything, distracted by explaining an experiment's results to Marluxia, then blocking out a quick analysis of his clothes and a promise of a makeover. Like hell that would happen. The last time his pink haired friend had offered him a wardrobe change, he'd been ten and ended up with a ribbon in his hair.

Anyways, that had been when he'd blocking out the cheerful voice and started to look around, trying to find a distraction and caught his first glance of **him**.

Later, he couldn't explain what it was that caught his attention most. Could have just been that he was secretly a sucker for blonds, or the blue eyes hat could have been compared to the ocean, if you were into that poetry stuff. All swirly and a special hue, cerulean or cobalt or something. Like he knew. Besides, the whole magical eye thing was no more likely the culprit of his infatuation than the little scowl as he glared pointedly into space. Chances were it was a combination of the three that was making his mouth hang open.

It stayed that way for about half the ride, closing slowly as Axel leant against the window to contemplate his options. By the time they'd reached Oblivion High, Home of the Nobodies- and the faculty wondered why there was no school spirit- he'd pulled up two ideas of what to do. Introduce himself to the gorgeous guy in the back and then sex him up, or leave the introductions until later.

Decisions, decisions. Before he could chose though, the boy was walking towards the door, getting ready to join his friends, or whoever they were. That just couldn't be allowed, not when he hadn't won him over yet. Reaching over to the pole on the opposite side of the bus and pulling his body to the centre of the aisle, Axel flicked his red mane back smoothly and smiled. "Hey."

Instead of the desired "Hi, you're amazing and your every wish is my command."- though, in retrospect, that idea _was_ bordering extreme- the reply was more of a growled "Mrrumph."

The first word Axel had ever heard out of his mouth, and it wasn't even English. Or any other language he'd ever heard. Despite all that though, it was a nice voice in his opinion. Definitely one he wanted screaming his name sometime soon, but that could wait a while. Still, he did want to hear it again.

"What? Sorry, didn't catch that," he answered, cocky grin in place as he leaned closer, arm snaking its way around the shorter boy's back. Oblivious to the calls of "Roxas! Roxas!" from outside, he moved farther forward, uncaring of his duffel bag bouncing into the walls around him.

A cold glare greeted him as the blond spoke up again, loud enough for the first few rows of people to hear him. "Can you move pervert? I kind of need to get off."

It didn't leave much room for argument, even as the people nearby laughed quietly. Still, the red head attempted valiantly to persuade him. "Aw, but I don't want you to leave," he said sadly, taking another step towards the boy. Okay, so maybe valiant wasn't the best way to describe him. "By the way, I'm- damn!"

The last outburst came as he received a tight fist to the stomach, watching the blond dart under his arm. Stupid body, being all reflexive and leaving him hunched over, Axel thought spitefully as the boy apologized to the driver and hopped off the bus. What had caused the kid to call him a pervert anyways? He was just being friendly. Obviously he should just give up now while he was still ahead. Or not losing by much.

Still, that decision didn't stop him from watching out the glass towards a panicking brunet who could plainly be heard screaming. Even if he hadn't recognized the spiky hair and the two teens attempting to calm him down, Axel could tell it was Sora. Who else would completely lose their head like this over…wait, what was he freaking out over?

"Roxas, where are you? Did you even get off the bus?" The boy took a shuddering breath while Axel tried to figure out who he was talking to. His imaginary friend? A puppy? Sora was the type to still have imaginary friends, but with his childish nature, was just as likely to have brought a pet and then lost it.

"Roxas Strife! You aren't allowed to be missing! …I'll get in trouble." The loud calls subsided as the teen who'd snubbed Axel tapped the yeller's shoulder, flinching as he was pulled into a death grip. So that was Roxas. He looked sort of like a puppy. Shrugging the ecstatic boy off, the calmer of the two pulled out a phone pointing to it and talking slowly.

The number thirteen pulled away while the one standing passenger watched, reading Roxas's lips as they clearly said the phrase "Call me anytime," directed towards his friend. It had nothing to do with Axel, and wasn't meant to stop his decision not to go near the boy again.

Still, it was the best invitation Fate was likely to give him.

As the bus pulled away, Axel stood there thinking, trying to devise a plan to get the boy to pay attention to him. The list was long and included everything from mutant bunnies to chocolates. Saving him from an alien invasion could be put in the pile of 'unlikely to ever happen' things. Which basically covered every idea he'd had except one.

Before he could implement it though, or even work out details, a gloved hand tapped his shoulder, forcing him to turn around and look to see who had interrupted his plans. Oh, Marluxia, for once looking a little concerned for his health. "Are you alright?"

Why would the crazy pink haired idiot care about his wellbeing? Well, there was the whole saving him with chemistry thing. Favour returned, more or less. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just need to get that kid's number," Axel answered, trying to work out just how to use that information. There had to be some way simpler than airplane writing. And cheaper

"Get in his pants you mean. Face it man, you're in lust," his friend pointed out with a grin, complete with hand motions.

"I know." Axel sighed, half tempted to throw his arms in the air and beg for mercy. Twenty minutes on a bus, was all it took to be completely, one hundred percent infatuated with the blond, who'd actually attacked him. It wasn't reasonable, but since when had he fit into that mould?

"Pure, insatiable 'I've got to get him into my bed soon or I'll die a tragic, horrible death' lust," Marluxia threw in cheerfully, grinning happily at the redhead and twirling around, coat fluttering around his waist.

"I _know_." As if it needed pointed out that he was a hopeless failure. And a hopeless failure to be. So far he hadn't even done anything and he knew he was doomed. Helped put things into a negative perspective at least. Bastard.

A pair of arms snaked over his back, pulling him into a dangerously close hug. "So, want me to help?"

Glaring down at the lavender coat sleeves- not only the colour but it was still summer, even if only for a few more weeks- Axel attempted to reason with his captor, having tried to escape him before with no luck. For whatever good guy vibes his outward appearance might give off, his heart was filled with evil. Force never worked, nor running or pleading. Sometimes distraction did as well, but logic was his best weapon. "You might be flamboyant enough to be a woman, but you're straight."

"Uh huh," his attacker murmured, distracted by a lock of red that had escaped the spikes it had been grabbed into. The hair might have been gravity defying by itself, but it took plenty of hair mousse to clump it perfectly.

Panicking, Axel began to struggle, searching for some sort of fact, some impossible to deny information that would get him free, at whatever cost necessary. "As in, you like boobs." Stupid thing to say really, but Marluxia seemed to take it as a genius point, letting go of his friend and striking a dramatic pose.

"Of course I like boobs Axel! What's not to like?" the confused look he'd started with faded with excitement, and Axel could almost swear there were rose petals swirling around the more self absorbed teen. Full blown rants usually would come in here. He needed to argue.

"Well…in Larxene's case…they're attached to her." The blond girl was pure evil, after all. Her sister was sweet, though pretty shy, but the elder Savage daughter seemed more likely to be related to the devil. Just like Marluxia, who was currently looking into space with a frown. "What?"

"Lucky you, you get to be with her all day," the pink haired man grumbled, pose dissolving into hunched shoulders. Well, that was weird. Normally it was laughter that followed that sort of comment, not a pathetically girly sulk. Axel barely noticed though, already panicking about the day ahead.

"Lucky me? Your day isn't spent with a homicidal sociopath out for your blood!" Sociopath probably wasn't the best phrase. Sadist had a much more fitting ring, what with all the traps set up around the office. Playing with fire was supposed to be dangerous, but it was nothing compared to messing with her.

"Yeah…" The soft agreement was a little too hesitant and longing. Damsel in distress behaviour was normal though, so the red head shrugged it off, finally realizing something that should already have been apparent.

"Speaking of that…don't you have to go to school?" he asked blandly, sarcasm nearly lost as he watched his friend's reaction. Since having chosen to be a career man- also known as being expelled for making four different bathrooms explode and setting the music room on fire- Axel had spent the four months since laughing evilly at those who did have to go to school.

"Uh hu- oh shit!" Senior year was meant for getting farther in life and partying and all that stuff. Not talking on a bus that was now more than a handful of stops away from Oblivion High. Pulling the cord and swearing to himself, the pink haired teen wondered how he'd gotten this distracted. A certain redhead was going to pay.

Meanwhile, Axel had stopped chuckling long enough to remember he was supposed to be brooding. Or thinking. Or had it been both? Both, he decided, mulling over possible scenarios. Today would be good. After all, he had Roxas Strife to think about.

* * *

First days at school sucked. Especially when said first day was everyone else's second day. Having lived there when in elementary school didn't help if the only person you'd kept in contact with was your cousin, and you were now a junior in high school. Add in that said cousin was Sora, who had the attention span of a guinea pig on crack- though a much sweeter disposition, admittedly- and you had a recipe for disaster.

Or at least, you had part of it, lacking the garnishes. That hadn't included his brother, who'd lived in Twilight Town since finishing high school five years ago and _still_ had a perpetual case of teen angst. Mind, that might have to do with the picture of him in a dress super glued on four doors of the house. Cloud had scraped them off twice since Roxas had moved in, but still they kept coming back. That pointed towards Yuffie's involvement. Which just wasn't good. For any of them.

That should have been enough to create the crappiest life the average teenager got. You know, without any real problems. But no, Sora's best friends had to be Kairi and Riku. Of all the people he could possibly be best friends with, it was those two. Well, she wasn't that bad, just one of those pretty, popular types who had the compulsion to find good in everyone. Roxas could handle that. Maybe. If she didn't keep punctuating everything with 'Right Roxas?' and a huge smile.

No it was _him _the younger Strife had a problem with. His cousin's other friend, the silver haired spawn of Satan, who kept checking out _his best friend_ when he wasn't looking. Why couldn't Riku see that Sora just wasn't interested? At least, the blond hoped Sora wasn't. His own father had been disappointed enough when he'd discovered his own genes weren't likely to be passed on to another generation. If his cousin was enough like the rest of them, they'd all be dead. Well, Cloud first, for setting the bad example. But then the other two also.

That however, had managed to be overshadowed by something else, which was quite the feat. It was what Roxas referred to as 'the beginning of the end' or 'hell'. As if they needed any more confirmation that Sora, while hopefully being straight, was also the only optimist in the family.

The cause of said cynical observation did not immediately seem dangerous. After a few minutes sitting on the bus alternating between answering Kairi's long stream of questions ('so you lived here before? What's your favourite colour?') and plotting the whistler's demise, the vehicle stopped yet again, idling while someone ran towards the open door.

Really, Roxas should have already known something horrific was about to happen. He should, technically have been prepared. They were on the number thirteen bus for Chrissakes. Outside the window the words 'the end is nigh' were printed quite clearly in big bold letters. They were on a poster for some big sci-fi movie that looked sort of cool, but whatever. It was a sign that he should have understood but didn't. Curse the failure to pay attention before nine.

Still, the blond managed to ignore the newcomer another short while, as Kairi continued the rapid fire interrogation ('moving here must be tough for you, right Roxas? Do you like sushi? Are you even listening to me?') before the prickling on his neck started. At first he ignored it. Then, assuming it was just some itch, he scratched at it. Once that failed, he cautiously turned from the window and looked to the front, only to meet a pair of rather stunned green eyes.

A fluke, Roxas decided, flicking his eyes back to the passing scenery. Must have been a side effect of waking up two hours early and then finishing a pot of coffee. When he looked back, the red head was concentrating on the floor, not staring at him. Yeah, choosing to get up that morning had definitely been a stupid idea.

That decision only lasted long enough to get him to the school, having a brief 'conversation' with the older teen as he tried to get off. Roxas was pretty sure it wasn't in his head now. That bastard deserved more than a quick punch, even if there hadn't been enough time. Maybe tomorrow, he thought as his cousin finally stopped lecturing him on disappearing, the rant switching to something cheerful without skipping a beat.

"You don't have math first, but you have the same as me for the rest of the morning, right?" Sora was like an eager puppy occasionally, and most of that time Roxas wanted to scream at him for it. But he wouldn't do that to his cousin, instead mutely nodding. "Great! Kairi will be there too, and some other friends! Riku won't though, cause he's a senior."

Forced smile becoming a smirk, Roxas nodded again, catching a glare from the taller student while the brunet chattered to his female best friend excitedly. "Great."

* * *

"Axel!" Upon entering the plain brick garage, the redhead climbed the stairs as he did every day to switch into his uniform and grab reports on the day's work. Having hung around since he was a kid, the place was like a second home to him, a playground where the only rule was 'don't touch the cars'. Now he was paid to hang around and do repairs and oil changes. It came with only one downside. Larxene.

Getting there an hour after her was probably a dangerous idea. He was quite sure the girl skipped on checking messages until after she'd booby trapped the area, setting every doorknob to spark whoever opened it. The daily ritual involved him trying to get through with minimal burns and his bushy hair not standing on end.

"Yes m'dear?" came the sarcastic reply as he poked his head around the corner, only to retract it as a pencil was flicked at him. Right, no cheerful comments allowed until her first coke of the day washed down her breakfast.

Striding in, he sat on the desk, attempting to steal the toast sitting on her desk. A handful of pointed nails hit Axel's hand, the blonde finally looking over at him. "How'd you get in here looking like…you?" she asked curiously, shoving him onto the floor, where he stood and wandered off to change. 'Normal' didn't fit, but he wasn't shocked or tired like he ought to be.

Tossing his shirt off in the small bathroom the garage had and opening his duffel bag, Axel called back to her. "Storage door. After flicking stuff at it for a few minutes, the batteries the wires are hooked up to died." It hadn't been guaranteed to work, but a few minutes spent testing the idea was better than the hour spent later trying to comb his hair into some semblance of order.

"I'll write that down," Larxene said with a hint of annoyance as he wandered back in, dressed and going through the shelves along the wall. Watching, she waited for him to speak or give her some way of getting peace. After a few minutes that made it apparent he wasn't going to just ask for help, she spoke up. "Why aren't you gone?"

Bright emerald eyes looked at her pleadingly. On most children, it would be the puppy eyed beg, but with Axel it just looked idiotic. "Do we have a phone book?" Trying to figure out the catch, the blonde paused before nodding slowly, paler olive eyes glaring distrustfully. "Where is it?"

Obviously he was planning something, probably a prank of some sort. Of course, it could be amusing for her as well, but as she pulled the large book out of a drawer and handed it to him, Larxene decided it probably wasn't worth knowing. As though he'd let it end there.

"…Don't you want to know why I need it?" After him sitting there another minute, flicking through and muttering to himself, the blonde really was getting curious. But then, she'd spent years in the same classes as him and now work. When she'd told him she was quitting school for work, he'd immediately taken advantage of it, insisting to every employer they came as a pair. She was more hireable, but he'd been made to regret it. Many, many times.

Giving him any chance for revenge didn't sound like a good idea though, especially not when she was still half asleep and had paperwork to organize. And a book to read too, though that could technically wait. "Understanding you before noon is as bad as babysitting," Larxene answered, opting for a neutral answer. Not a 'yes', but not an argument in any case.

It made him beam though as he scribbled down a number on his hand. Or then, that could just be the number making him happy. What did he need it for anyway? "I'll tell you at lunch then?"

Apparently she had no choice. "You're buying, and I'm not paying you back."

Nodding happily and bounding down the stairs to the garage, Axel tugged his phone from his pocket, opening up the text messages and typing away. There was a weird thrill about it, along with dread. What if he said the wrong words and came off pedophile like? Roxas had already attacked him once that day. Maybe since then and now he hadn't already felt the call of destiny?

The redhead pouted at that thought. If he hadn't, he'd just have to make him feel it. Tapping at the number pad for a moment, he carefully sent the message. 'Hi, you don't know me Roxas but hi. How are you?' Possibly not his best work ever, yet it did the trick okay. Ish.

Ten minutes later, he found out whether or not it had been too creepy. Halfway through checking tire pressure on one of the few SUVs helping to crowd the garage, the cell began to vibrate, causing him to shout- not squeak, he was far too _manly_ for that. Marluxia squeaked. He _shouted_.

Pausing to flip it open Axel stared down at the words it displayed, face a mixture of shock and dismay. 'I was fine, and then some stalker bothered me. Never do that again, or I will hunt you down with a knife.'

It wasn't rejection at all. There was innuendo in there, Axel attempted to convince himself, as he closed the phone as continued working, a scowl on his face. He'd just hidden it. Really well. Under a few death threats. That was all. …Right. The truth was, Fate was an evil creature who wanted to make his day even worse, and then add in the fact that he had to ride the bus every day.

Yes, life sucked.

--

And done, for this chapter.

-Josiy x


	2. II

**Disclaimer: **Honest, I spent the year I wasn't updating trying to steal Kingdom Hearts away from Square. Sadly they bribed me with caffiene and games, so I still don't own it.

**Author's Notes: **Technically, I should be apologising for disappearing for a year. But then again, technically it hasn't been a whole year yet. At least the chapters will never come out this far apart again. Hopefully. Sorry!

--

Working on the old pick up truck the business owned was boring. Napping in a customer's Ferrari was boring. And a bit cramped too. Hell, Larxene's death threats when he asked to take the cars for joyrides around the neighbourhood were getting boring. Alarmingly creative, but still less of a distraction from his pathetically unexciting existence than he'd like.

Axel groaned and kicked the nearest car in frustration. Above the small window connecting the shop to the office slid open, an eraser hitting his ear. The first projectile was followed by a handful more, causing the mechanic to cower and crawl back to the safety of the expensive vehicle's interior.

The blonde was out to get him, he swore. First she set the place with traps that encircled every doorway, so that he was in some sort of pain before getting to work, and then tossed things spontaneously to injure him more. Evil bitch LIKED seeing him in pain.

That had been confirmed when she cackled- not just laughed, but cackled- at Axel's double rejection. By the same guy. In one morning. Pulling out the cellphone that had caused the second offence against his ego, Axel gave it his best green eyed glare of death. Unfortunately, it being an inanimate object with no soul, the phone neglected to die said horrible painful death.

Instead it vibrated with a new message, the screen lighting up with the caller id. Reading it, Axel sat up, rubbing at his eyes and blinking, testing to see if he was seeing it right. His imagination would be cruel enough to play a joke on him. But no, it still said 'Roxas'. Greedily, the redhead flipped it open a broad grin on his face before he even read the words.

* * *

This was pointless. Actually, it might have past pointless and tread into the land of impossibly retarded once the teacher had actually arrived. Any form of math class fell under 'things that Roxas really couldn't care less about and still did fine in', which meant he was annoyed and bored. To death.

Sad really, seeing up until now and ignoring the strange stalker from earlier, his day was going relatively good. Friends he'd met over his summer vacations to see his brother had been in his first class, immediately updating him on school life. Hayner had quickly told him about the school's Struggle club, which was smaller than the Blitzball team, but at least didn't have to wear the uniforms displaying a black hole with 'the Nobodies' splashed across it.

Olette and Pence had been nice too, though the former was too caught up in the class work to join in the conversation much. They'd been fun to hang out with any other time he'd come to Twilight Town, since Cloud was too busy with his friends or boyfriend to care what his younger cousin or brother were doing. Mostly he'd assumed that the city had more than one high school and he wouldn't see them again. Apparently he was wrong.

They'd made the class fun though, before the bell had split them apart. Taking a page from Sora's book, he'd nearly skipped down the hall before crashing into said brunet who had no idea how to get to his locker or their class together. Somehow, that didn't surprise him.

And so biology had began. A panicked looking Kairi had relaxed as they entered, hugging her best friend and waving. Some blonde girl had been there too, drawing and nodding as she'd been introduced. Some cousin of Kairi's cousin's friend's little sister named Naminé. She didn't seem to talk much, but with two obnoxiously loud people right beside her, her silence was more listening than being shy.

That had been morning. Roxas was a little confused as to how 'the rest of the morning' was only one period, but sitting with Sora and glaring at Riku all lunch gave him a reason. Dealing with the silver haired senior should have been a problem since they obviously weren't going to get along. Not when he was looking at his baby cousin like that. Fighting with him would be easy though, he decided with a grin, before realizing that he was still sitting in the ugliest math room ever seen.

On some bizarre attempt at interior decorating, someone had chosen to paint the room mud brown. That was a bad enough mistake, not that he really knew about colour schemes. Whoever added the details beyond that had to be blind though, it being the only reasonable explanation. Pink flowers sat on the desk, clashing with the orange curtains and making the entire room a little too bright for the average person.

The man behind the desk set off the image again, with a stylish haircut and designer clothes. That didn't mean he wasn't terrifying, sadly. When the bell rang he'd basically yelled at them to sit down, shut up and take notes…or die. Fantastic. Now he was stuck in a room where he didn't know anyone with a teacher who wanted to be a military guard. Just great.

What kind of options did he have? Pay attention and slowly die of boredom, learn in the next minute how to sleep with his eyes open, or to find some sort of distraction. Hell, the room itself could cover that. After about five minutes of looking around, he realized it was a bit hopeless. Visually disrupting as they might be, the curtains couldn't keep him from being bored.

Pulling out his phone, the cerulean eyes scanned over the peculiar message from the morning. Technically he should have deleted it, and his fingers really were skimming down to the delete option, but somehow, he hit reply. An honest mistake, not meant as Roxas involuntary typed up a fresh reply to the strange number. 'So, do you have a name?'

Whoa, what the hell was he doing? Encouraging creepy stalker types who obviously knew more about you than made sense generally fell under what not to do if you didn't want to be raped and murdered. Yet here he was sitting, waiting for a reply. From said stalker type whom he knew nothing about. Which judging from the phone's movement in his hand, had just come through.

'A.X.E.L. Memorize it. And then entertain me. Work is boring.' Okay, so the stalker who was, quite possibly, an expert at preying on teenage boys had a name. That was…somewhat of a relief. It meant he wasn't breaking a cardinal rule- talking to strangers- if he exploited this person for amusement.

Not that it was really exploitation if the other person also needed to be entertained. It was really perfectly reasonable to continue a conversation that had been started with you, as long as no problematic information was exchanged. After a silent conversation about the dullness of a job versus a classroom, Axel, as his stalker really had to be referred to, seemed to have gotten a brainwave. 'Ask him about the time I set his toupee on fire.'

Staring at the screen in confused, Roxas typed back slowly, eyes carefully on the front. 'What?'

There was ten minutes to go. Ten minutes and he'd be freed from the insanity of class and be allowed to do what he pleased. Such a short amount of time and yet, so long… 'The teacher. Ask him about his toupee.'

Disbelief washed over the blond like the bucket of water at the end of a football game. Was this guy completely, absolutely and utterly mentally incompetent? The old man was already shooting daggers at him, mouth half open. Probably to yell about the phone. Wanting the cut off the lecture, his arm raised meekly into the air, seemingly belonging to a perfect, intelligent student. "What is it Strife?"

Hearing the impatient tone, Roxas considered the likelihood of the seat swallowing him. Improbable at best and asking to use the washroom was worse than having never lifted a hand to begin with. The lecture, having something to do with some formula where the letters weren't labelled was a moot point, because it wasn't as though he'd been writing notes.

So, it wasn't like he could just expect diplomatic immunity for it being his first day, and if he could, it couldn't be made any more difficult. "Excuse me sir. I was just curious about something. Did Axel really set your tou-"

"Detention Strife!" The man's face was burning enough to set something on fire as he spun back around, scrawling on the board. Apparently he wasn't exempted after all, he thought, sinking into his seat and glowering at his docile looking cellphone. Oh yes, it might look innocent, but it had gotten him into this, and it would be going down with him.

* * *

That rat bastard had gotten him into detention. On his very first day too. How unjust was that? One innocent slip about toupees and he needed 'administrative discipline'; known to the average human being between the age of ten and twenty quite simply, as hell. Sitting around while a middle aged, hair deficient teacher glared at him about an incredibly well-meant remark.

Right. Well, his expression had been positively comical, and it had been his choice, to some degree, to humiliate his own superior, but the punishment was all the mysterious texter's fault. Forthwith, as well as previously, described as 'that rat bastard'.

Leaning as far back in the hard chair he'd already been in over an hour, Roxas folded his arms and adopted a serene expression. There was something he could spend the extra time on. Plotting the other's unfortunate demise. Just because he didn't know what the other looked like, or even how old he was, or even, one hundred percent, that he was a he, didn't mean he couldn't exact justice. It would just be more difficult.

"I'm late! I mean, I'm always late, but I meant to get better this year and oh, sorry, hi, I'm Demyx," the door had barely registered as flying open before the rapidly spoken words came, directed mostly at the glowering man, save for the last part. Blinking at the blond figure- what was that thing on his head supposed to be, a Mohawk gone terribly wrong?- Roxas nodded back, stopped from answering by a gruff voice from the front.

"I have matters to attend to. Strife, no talking, sit there, and never attempt to goad me again," turning to the other teen his glare intensified, "Nocturne, you know the rules. You may leave at four."

Waving happily, the taller of the two delinquents waved and answered with a grin. "We will. Have a nice coffee sir." As the man left without commenting, the new student stared, impressed. So maybe the guy had consumed more sugar than any one person ought to. Maybe he'd been smoking up earlier. At the least, he was proving a sight more useful than he'd assumed.

The door closed again slowly, leaving the hideous room silent for a few seconds before a chipper voice once again broke the silence. "So what's your name?" Demyx leaned forward and asked, already half out of the desk, "I told you mine."

Pausing to wonder how many homicidal psychopaths could possibly be in one area, Roxas smiled in what he hoped was a pacifying way and slipped out of the chair to sit on the desk. Somehow, it was almost softer. "Roxas Strife. My cousin Sora goes here too."

Aquamarine eyes widened and the grin on the boy's face grew to almost Cheshire cat proportions. "Oh, I know Sora," Demyx nodded to himself in a way that made Roxas worry about possible mental disorders, "I like him. He's nice to everyone. So what're you here for?"

Thrown by the abrupt change in topic, Roxas thought for a moment before answering. "I got told to ask about his," nudging his finger towards the door, "toupee by this…this rat bastard." Good, he'd remembered the other's new name. No, his personal stalker deserved no name, especially after this.

"Oooh, I remember that. Good times, good times," Demyx offered appreciatively before smiling and swinging himself onto a pair of desks, sagging in the gap between. "If it makes you feel better, pretty much everyone gets a detention on their first day in Hook's class. Least you earned yours."

Huh, so maybe the creeper deserved a little more credit than he'd previously given him. "How about you? First day?" Sure he'd seemed like he'd spent plenty of time being stuck in the room, but that could be for other things. Like, helping the homeless, or upholding the rules.

"Nope!" Pulling off an impressive manoeuvre that raised his body high enough to drag to other desk beneath it, the blond grinned, the smile continually growing with every word. "He just doesn't have my musical appreciation."

What was that supposed to mean? Opening his mouth to ask for more details- having bad music taste was hardly a reason for a detention- Roxas was cut off by a light glowing on his desk. Of course, his phone, which had fortunately escaped the dreaded claws of confiscation.

Checking the screen, Roxas jabbed at the end button, missing the casually monkey like leaning from the other teen. "Hey, you know Axel," Demyx said thoughtfully, as though this fact shone light on something. "So that's how you know about the toupee, right? Right. So," he added with a tone that made the blond wonder if he was actually stupid or just acted it for show, "how do you know Axel?"

"Um, he kind of just texted me for now reason earlier…"Roxas paused as the implication of the other's words set in. "Wait, so he's a real person?"

"Well, that's generous, but yeah. Axel is about," sitting back on his own desk and lifting a hand above his head, Demyx demonstrated, "yay high, red hair, totally crazy. Not like me at all."

Oh yes, Roxas agreed internally, because you happen to be perfectly normal in every way. Aloud, he only carefully replied, "So, he's not…a pedophile or anything, is he?"

Laughing, the taller blond shook his head, nearly rolling off the desks. "No, no. Axel as a pedophile, I'll have to tell Larx that one." Still chuckling Demyx pulled his bag onto his legs, digging through it for a CD player. Tugging it out, he beamed, pressing the play button before it was halfway to his ear.

Watching in amusement- who else still used a Discman other than him in today's high-tech society?- Roxas sat up a bit more, pushing thoughts of the aforementioned redhead to the side. "What are you listening to?"

Brandishing a headphone and lugging it towards Roxas, the beam on the blond's face widened happily. "Treasure. They're from Al Bhed, which is the next town over, so they do shows here a lot."

Narrowly catching the earpiece, Roxas listened to the music, the deep bassline contrasting against the high pitched voice singing the chorus. "They're all girls?"

Nodding, Demyx eagerly began probably going to be a long winded explanation. "Yup, they are. Yuna's the one singing. It's only a bit of a demo disc, so the studio quality isn't there, but it's good, right?"

"Yeah," Roxas nodded, continuing to listen to the cheerful tones of the music. It was sort of catchy, once you got past the shock of the blond's music taste. Mind, Demyx himself was a shock.

"Great! Then I'll take you to one of their shows sometime!" Completely ignoring the perplexed expression on the other's face- when exactly had he agreed to this?- Demyx began chattered animatedly, hands describing everything as he went. "It's always great! This one time, during Rumbling Rose, there was this massive pit and Lexaeus, who's about a foot taller than me plus like two hundred pounds, just walks right into it to get Zexion. Zexy's tiny and it's just madness in there. All these guys they're just flying around and Lex…"

* * *

'You got me stuck in detention!' the text message couldn't display the fury radiating off of him as Roxas climbed on the bus again. He'd been quite amused by the stories Demyx had shared, but that didn't destroy the fact that his first day had been spent getting on the bad side of a depressed old man had hated teenagers and now, going home an hour late on a bus he wasn't sure was the right one. Once he made it there if he ever did, Cloud would be disappointed or angry and lecture him to no end.

The guy deserved to be lectured. Sure, Roxas had been the one to follow his ludicrous instructions, but he was an impressionable young person. Who had somehow been hunted down by someone with a sadistic need to put him through the ropes of troublemaking without any warning.

Still, the other didn't seem to be showing any remorse for ruining his day, if the short reply was any indication. 'So?' Axel typed back, easily interpretated as sarcastic. How was the blond supposed to know he'd be tucked under a car and really couldn't see well enough to have a proper answer when they'd never technically met?

Understandably he took the insult and continued ranting as he sat by the door, watching scenery go by. Of course the other knew it was a bad thing, but trying to make him get the severity would be like pulling teeth. Not that the blond could get that from one conversation. 'For an hour!'

'At least you met Dem' the redhead protested, sitting up and wiping fingerprints from the car body. Sure, they were little, but they'd had one complaint from an obsessive compulsive and he'd spent an hour cleaning it and apologising. Besides, the grease was horrendous to wash off without an actual cloth. The familiar buzz in his jacket pocket caused him to stop and read the message.

'Yeah.' Well, that was boring. Hardly a proper answer too. Where was his thank you? Frowning, he moved to answer when it went off again. Opening the new message, he sighed. Chances were, he was winning stalker points, judging by the question. 'How'd you know that?'

So now he was stalking his friend too? Lovely. Explaining it was a lot easier than having to explain how he got the phone number though- somehow he doubted the phone book was the proper answer. If he couldn't give a reasonable answer to this, he may as well throw in the towel now. 'Dem has issues with the no music policy'

'He said something about musical appreciation.'

'Anything about air guitar solos?'

'No?'

'He should have.'

Looking at the text messages, Roxas tried to think of something to say to that as he reached his new neighbourhood. The gaps in the conversation spoke as loudly as the words, and the mental image of Demyx getting too into a song during class popped up. Scarily, it made perfect sense. Changing the topic, he continued with a new thought. 'Well, he did say he knows you'

'That he does,' Axel agreed, continuing with a smirk on his face. 'So, believe I'm a real person now?'

'I guess so.' The neutral response would have to do. Strange as the messager was, he was apparently a friend of a self-proclaimed friend- not that he could complain; Demyx was less irritating than Kairi- and was amusing.

Yes! Containing the urge to run a victory lap, the redhead contented himself with bouncing around for a second and regaining composure. In eight hours, he'd turned he other from absolute loathing to a sort of neutral acquaintance. That would be good enough for today. 'Cool. I'll talk to you some more sometime then.'

'Okay,' Roxas sent, climbing off the bus at his stop and closing the phone off. He could handle that. They could get along, until the other went away. He just wouldn't listen to any of his suggestions. And then no one would get upset with him. Speaking of which…

Opening the front door, Roxas found himself looking into the pair of irritated blue eyes, the man behind them scowling and crossing his arms. "Why am I hearing about you and a toupee exactly?"

* * *

A week later, and Roxas had still failed to ignore the mysterious texter's advice. He'd asked Maleficent, the crazy science teacher, about the hamsters from hell, gotten trapped in detention with Demyx twice and discovered that the herbology club's president, while straight, could become overtly flirtatious with any friend of Axel's.

It had definitely been an adventure with disastrous results, thanks to the assistance of his personal stalker- just because he knew Axel's name, didn't mean he had to use it- but the blond had yet to stop sending back messages. What was originally just a distraction from the boredom of math class had turned to afternoon bus ride entertainment, the conversation occasionally spilling into the time past that.

In an eerie reflection of that behaviour, Roxas's morning bus ride was starting to become a ritual of sorts. Get up at some horrible hour before his alarm even considered going off, drink half a pot of coffee, follow Sora to the bus stop without walking into anything again and get on the bus. From there the plan was to glare at Riku and talk to Kairi- who was surprisingly tolerable one she clued in that he wasn't a morning person- until the creepy redhead got on the bus. Then he spent the remainder of the ride glowering out the window until the Route 13 reached Oblivion High.

Around then Roxas began to wake up, not even needing the caffeine that had failed to do anything other than keep him awake for the daily battle. He'd been born prepared to fight with that creepy pervert. Or something like that at least. Sadly, the mischievous eyed demon on the bus seemed just as ready, going through every pick up line in the book.

Like today, it was, "I could just drown in your eyes. They're like the ocean. All blue and…water looking," said with a deep, meaningful stare, as if that could cover the pathetic string of words. Meaningful, right. Innocent as his cousin was, Roxas knew when someone's gaze was concentrated on his mouth, and the taller teen's were. Ass.

"It would be easier if you just drowned yourself," he retorted, aiming a kick to the redhead's knee and ducking past, "save me needing to kill you." Hopping onto the sidewalk, he ruffled Sora's chocolate coloured hair gently to assure him that no, he hadn't been run over. No matter how many times Riku prayed for it.

Speak of the devil. The silver haired senior watched the short exchange, waiting until Kairi had caught the brunet up in a discussion about some legend or other to speak. "There's a back door on the bus, in case you haven't noticed." It was all said with a half smirk that slowly faded at the answer.

Following the crowds into the main building, an angry blond kicked at the ground. "Yeah," Roxas snapped back, eyes on the asphalt, "I know."

--

Review if you want. flames are good entertainment too. Or, you know, you could just wait until the next chapter.

-Josiy x


	3. III

**Author's Notes: **Ten months! New record for this fic! Though it should continue to speed up a bit over the next few weeks. Anyways, many apologies to those of you opening your email trying to figure out what this is, and thanks for being so patient.

--

While to his caffeine addicted cousins, morning generally might seem to bring some apocalypse type doom, also known as sunshine, to the table, Sora considered it the best part of the day. Closely followed by afternoon, evening and night. Okay, so he liked the whole day. He was an optimist, it was allowed. Sure, bad things happened, but the world was not filled with heartless creatures, but rather people, no matter what Roxas grumbled when he passed by on the stairs

Kairi had the same idea, rushing up to the bus stop to hug him, peeling away gently to chatter away about her day's plans before spotting incoming silver hair and waving frantically. His blond relative's scowl grew as they stood waiting, but for the other Strife, this was the beginning of the best part of his day.

"Riku!" Conveniently moving as Roxas flicked the volume on his CD player to ear damaging levels, the brunet flew towards the other teen, waving as he did. Standing in front of him as the girl followed, Sora began to rock on his heels, still managing to cringe when his best friend ruffled his hair affectionately. "It's morning! And it's Friday!"

Raising a pale eyebrow, Riku answered the remarks with a nod and shrug. "I noticed that," he tossed in dryly, flinching as a tiny pout emerged on his friend's lips. Great, now he'd done something wrong. What exactly it was, he didn't know. A lack of enthusiasm probably. "Erm…happy Friday?" he offered up, relaxing at the grin springing in pale pink. Good, he'd figured it out. Living with his family left little room for a lack of cynicism.

Lost to the cherub face, the taller of the two forgot any comprehensible trail of thought after that point. Except one. Unfortunately, that seed of thought had bloomed into full fledged, x-rated themes quickly, which wasn't very good. Well, they were very good, just not in the angelic sort of way they ought to have been. Chances were some higher power was out to get him; Fate or Cupid maybe, so his prayers for a distraction usually went elsewhere.

_Kai, I know you can probably read minds. It's a woman thing or whatever. So please, save me!_

Right on cue, the auburn haired girl, who had been trying to plait her short fringe, spoke up. "Sora, are you going to come to the party at Riku's cousin's house?"

"Huh?" Confused blue eyes glanced away and the older boy sighed in relief. Curse that face for being so…Sora.

"Oh, you didn't hear about it?" the girl's voice, always chipper, smoothed gently to an informative tone. "Well I guess not, Selphie probably expected me to tell you. It's for Halloween. Everyone's going. It'll be huge!"

Sometimes Kairi's enthusiasm about social gatherings was more than Riku could handle. Especially when he'd already heard every possible detail of the party from the man himself. The brunet though, joined in happily. "Of course I'm coming then! Maybe we should bring Roxas too? His friends will probably be there anyways, but then I can make him dress up too!"

The girl's blue eyes lit up. "Oh! There's so many things he would look good as! And you two too!" Great, she was off, leaving them both to nod at what she said, knowing she didn't expect them to keep up. They were her sounding board, but the only one who actively participated in it was Selphie, with even Naminé smiling and murmuring 'that sounds great' at the end.

So really, if he got bored and decided to pester Sora's cousin, with his bad attitude and spiky hair, it couldn't be held against him. Tugging on the headphones so that they slipped off the tiny ears that so matched Sora's, Riku sneered and leaned over. "Excited to see your boyfriend? You haven't for a whole two days after all."

"Piss off Riku," the blond muttered, hand gripping his bag a little tighter. Normally the two ignored each other, beyond the protective glares Roxas tossed off. The silver haired senior could give as good as he got, he just didn't. Never wanted to be the villain when his best friends were watching. Wanted them to see him only in a good light, because bad lighting revealed his flaws. His sarcasm, his bitterness. His own fears of Sora seeing the real him and not wanting it.

Sighing, Riku backed away a step, shaking his head in disappointment. "You know, he's not really a bad guy. Not sure what he sees in you though," he added at the last second, the bus pulling up as he did.

Well, that cinched it right there. "If he's a friend of yours, no wonder he's such an arrogant ass," Roxas mumbled, effectively ending the conversation by heading to the bus. Sure, the silver haired senior was his cousin's best friend, but that wasn't all he wanted to be, and Roxas wasn't willing to let him off with hurting his cousin. And if the redhead was a friend of his, then he wouldn't get to know him either. It was really that simple.

* * *

Overall, October had rolled in with little change in anyone's daily habits. Sora had managed to find his locker without assistance finally, only to get lost trying to get to the gym afterwards. How he'd managed that, no one could tell, though somehow his cousin had found a way to avoid helping with it, Roxas's patience having finally met a wall. Even without his usual guide through a school he'd gone to for three years already; Sora had made it on time, asking a passing freshman in a panic. The brunet was unlikely to ever need to find things on his own at least, not with his ability to make friends with the general population.

Life was even normal for Roxas himself, having by now established a schedule. During the week he went to school on the bus, spending the last few minutes of the ride tossing insults at the overly flirtatious redhead. Really, it wasn't such a bad thing, giving him something to do other than try to concentrate on anyone else's morning cheer. Before his coffee, he was obnoxious at best, and that kind of conversation was suited for only one person.

Once actually making it to Oblivion High, ex-ward for the criminally insane, he rushed to the espresso machine, chugged down more caffeine than healthy and headed for homeroom. Mornings weren't too bad with his friends in one of the classes and Sora and his group in the other two. After was lunch and running to the Usual Spot to get ice cream or an actual lunch before walking back with Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Once the next period bell rang though, math started and he had to find new entertainment.

Axel made that part go by fast. Sure, there were a few messages going back and forth the rest of the day, but while he was supposed to be learning some long, drawn out formula, Roxas texted like a madman. It made the time easier having a long discussion with someone he'd technically never met, trying to suss him out. At least, the blond assumed the person on the other phone was a 'him', only going with what he'd been told by Demyx, Riku and the tester himself. For all he knew, his friend was actually an old lady with a million cats.

Not that it mattered in the end. Calculus was survived mainly because of the other person's intervention, which on this day happened to be a game of twenty questions. So far Axel had lost four rounds, and seemed determined not to lose again. They'd made it to question ten already, but so far Roxas wasn't sure what the mysterious object was.

Fire had been the last one; lighter the one before it, right after coal and metal. Obviously Axel was a bit of a pyromaniac, with the things he was throwing at him. This one though, had started with a different feel to it, when 'Does it burn?' was answered with an excited 'That would be awesome! No.'

Watching large looping notes be scrawled out on the chalkboard, Roxas added another question, bringing the total to eleven. 'Is it larger than me?'

'Everything's larger than you. Yeah though, it is.'

Roxas growled at the screen for a second, fingers poking the buttons angrily as he replied. 'I'm not that small! And how would you know? Stalker.'

Copying down the writing that had grown since he'd last looked up, Roxas ignored the vibrating cell sitting on his messenger bag. For about five seconds. Then he flipped it open to see what it said. Amidst a line of laughter and more teasing, there was a long sentence at the bottom, the only part of importance. 'I'm sorry, okay? Don't blame me for you being short. Hey, you still gonna play Roxy? I was going to win this time!'

Seriously, did he have to be so childish? The teen set the phone to silent and closed it, ignoring the lit up screen the next few times a new text message was sent, instead working away at the assigned problems. After the class was nearly finished, Roxas finally caved on his quick use of pride, smothering a grin at the sign declaring twenty four new messages.

Scrolling through them, he watched the tone go from expectant to angry, to practically begging. The last one, sent just a few seconds before, sounded like Axel had given up on him entirely. 'Okay fine. If you aren't going to talk to me, I'll just shut up. Sorry for all the messages.'

Hesitantly, Roxas pressed the reply button, typing as he gathered his books to leave in his locker and walked out the door of math class. It wasn't an apology, far from it, but this was Axel. Surely he didn't need a definite response. 'Is it an animal?'

A dozen more stops down the bus line, in a rather messy workshop, a certain redhead grinned as he read the message, any negative emotions evaporating beneath his happiness. To Roxas he typed back a simple 'no'. To the building at large he called out "he still loves me! Oh yeah, I am so cool! Got it memorized?"

He hadn't expected a response, but Larxene still managed to open the office window to yell back, a thrown pen whizzing past his ear. "Don't make me staple your mouth shut! …Again!"

Cringing meekly, he once again flipped open the phone, frowning at the message it showed. Only Demyx. It figured that the blond couldn't pay attention nearly long enough to finish a note in class without bothering somebody. "Party?"

* * *

By Monday, the entire school was buzzing with talk about the upcoming Halloween celebration. It wasn't as though they didn't have them often enough, but most were small, with only certain groups attending. This one though, hosted by the ever popular Riku's rather fascinating university student of a cousin Xemnas, was going to be the biggest of the new year.

Even Roxas, whose social life consisted of hanging out with Hayner, Pence and Olette around the Usual Spot and Sandlot for more time than could ever be considered healthy, knew about the party, thanks to Demyx. Who was going, what poor souls had to miss out, costume ideas that were popular, what drinks were popular…more than he ever cared to know.

Still, with the rain outside trapping him inside the cafeteria with the rest of the school's population, any tidbit of information he hadn't heard was regurgitated again and again for his listening pleasure. Even Hayner and Pence, his normal refuges from the onslaught, were unavailable once Olette pulled them away to discuss costume plans.

What her plans were, he wasn't entirely sure, other than it involved a multitude of belts, a cavalier shirt and boots. After catching that part, he was debating whether knowing what he was going as could possibly be dangerous to his health.

The gist of it was that, instead of frolicking outside or hanging out with the people he considered his best friends; Roxas was trapped with his cousin and _his_ friends with gossip he didn't care to hear.

And then there was Demyx.

He always started at one table or another, rotating as needed until he was content. Today, the blond had been sitting at another table to their left, unique hairstyle distinguishable in the crowd, Roxas knew that. Afterwards, the details became sketchy until the point where a pair of lanky arms wrapped tightly around him and an exuberant voice piped up. In his ear. Loud. "Nami, Roxas, Sorikukairi, are you going to Xemnas's on Friday?"

"Of course, it's going to be the party of the year!" Kairi jumped right on the popular train of thought. Again. When it wasn't that, it was cheerleading or clothes or sushi- the only thing Roxas agreed with her enthusiasm for- or any multitude of subjects. And Demyx was just as bad.

"Guess what? I called Yuna and she said they might stay after practice. She won't say what she's dressed up as though."

"Should be something good though, knowing her."

"Yeah, she wouldn't give me any hints though. From what Paine said though, it involves a pair of wings…"

He could kill the Nocturne idiot at this point, he really could. Despite being a friend, Demyx had conveniently brought up the topic that he himself couldn't wait to get away from. Of course, if he mentioned it, the discussion would turn to why not, and a simple 'it's annoying' most likely wouldn't cut it. Instead, he simply sat there, vaguely paying attention and doodling on the notes in front of him.

Fifteen minutes into the conversation, they'd once again gone over who was attending, as what and bringing what. A never ending topic, but leading to another more interesting one. It had started with the obvious people- himself and those at the table, Riku's cousins who were apparently the hosts, the cheerleaders, drama kids and assorted friends of those participating in the discussion.

Finally, they'd gotten to Demyx's friends. A dozen people he'd never heard of, skimming just past him in recognition, but enough that his question wouldn't be entirely unrelated. Out of the blue, perhaps, but definitely on topic. Hell, it would pacify the chattering idiots if he joined in.

"Demyx, um," Roxas took a long breath, trying to figure out how the others would react to his question, "do you know if Axel's coming?"

Great, he'd said it. The entire table reacted, with Kairi raising an eyebrow inquisitively. Roxas wouldn't glance around to see the others, stubbornly waiting for Demyx to answer.

Rubbing the back of his neck- great, his hair was falling down a bit to the left- the blond shrugged. "He said no last week, but Larx promised to persuade him. So he'll be there, for sure."

Speaking up after a period of drawing and listening, Naminé's eyes darted between the two nervously. "Um, you realize she's in a bad mood today, right? So, is leaving Axel to be persuaded really a good idea?"

"No…um yes?" Demyx paused, lips moving with silent rationalization before he spoke again. "I mean; it'll get him to come, which is really going to be good for him because you know how he's been talking. And she won't kill him before then anyways! Because she wants to see him be completely humiliated by you know who."

The rest of the table, originally uninterested at this point, perked up. Only part of this was related to the actual discussion, Roxas trying to feign indifference with a sudden fascination on his pen, and Kairi nearly leaning into Naminé's lap to catch every word. Sora and Riku had used the time they weren't expected to care about gossip to start a game of Speed.

Still, the information didn't seem to be forthcoming, significant looks instead between traded by the two blondes who already understand the conversation. Impatient about getting the answers to her questions- not that Roxas didn't want to strangle them himself for being mysterious- the redhead had propped her head up and looked up at the taller of the two boys. "Who is You Know Who?"

"We aren't allowed tell you that if you don't know who," Naminé explained gently, catching Demyx's eye pointedly as she did.

"Right," he agreed, seeming to get the message as he stared at ink blots on his palm reading out the same words, "But what we can tell you is that you know you know who, if you know what I mean."

Blankly, the entire group stared at him before simply turning to watch the rather passionate argument over the card pile on the other end of the table. The distraction though, didn't keep Roxas from continually glancing at his phone, sitting on his bag for the next ten minutes until the bell rang.

* * *

Axel had priorities in his day, of which actual work ranked somewhere around third. At the top, avoiding death by electrocution, stabbing or three ton trucks conveniently being released from cable suspensions all fell somewhat evenly into that first position. Following that was his addiction to the text messages that flew in a flurry most of the day as well as the boy attached to them. Work got slotted in after that, slightly above his concerns for whatever he'd be having for lunch.

Not that the redhead had any clue of this list, simply living it rather than noting it down. His sole co-worker, however, was nowhere near as generous, taking the time to dig a few metaphorical daggers in his sides.

"So explain to me how all this wasting time sending messages to loverboy gets you in his pants?" Larxene asked as he headed into the office for food.

"I earn his trust, get him to hang out with me and it's all good, clothingless fun from there."

"How's that working out for you?"

"Good. We're running off tomorrow night to Bermuda and having hot sex for the next few weeks."

Larxene stared at him for a moment before smirking. "He rejected you again? Nice."

"No!" protesting loudly, Axel pondered the conversation from earlier that day. Technically he hadn't been rejected, only giving the cold shoulder. Surely he could bounce back from something like that. Still, rationalizing it that way was pointing a loaded gun at his head and pulling the trigger. "I'm taking things slow for now."

"Slow? You?" The girl considered the idea, twirling a chopstick around her finger. Sure, pasta was supposed to be a western dish, but it had been easier to swing by the Chinese takeout and grab some wooden utensils than find a clean fork in her kitchen. "I gotta ask Naminé about this blondie, if he already has you wrapped around his fingers."

"He does not!" Axel objected, the smirk he was staring at only growing in size as he did. Dodging the pen whizzed past his ear, he glared back, conscious of his own reflexes. "And stop trying to kill me when I'm pissed. Save that shit for Marluxia."

Shrugging, the blonde replaced the second pen in the can beside her books, returning to her chopsticks in a singular motion. "Kay."

That was unusual. Normally she put up more resistance than that, with any other victims being elsewhere during working hours. If it were anyone else, he'd say she felt ill and couldn't work up the stamina to mutilate him, but he knew that to be false. She was trying to make a point and not letting her sadistic urges get in the way. "What?"

Unsurprisingly, his question caused Larxene to pause in a mouthful of food, spinning around in her chair to face him head on, rather than sideways. "I have a better plan than something so weak, is all."

"Does it involve knives, handcuffs and copious amounts of alcohol?"

"One of the three."

"…The alcohol?" Please be the alcohol. Sure it could lead to the other two when Larxene was involved, but anything could do that. At the very least, he doubted Roxas would object to being plied with liquor if he knew the other options put forth.

"Unfortunately," her sigh started out, the pale coral of her lips shooting downwards as she mourned the loss of her other options. Honestly, only Larxene would be upset that she only got to manipulate someone with liquor. "Xemnas is having a party next Friday."

"I know that," Axel tossed back, annoyed. Since Xemnas had mentioned the latest plan of his to intoxicate the masses, he'd been given an 'exclusive invitation', rejected it, and suffered the urging of his friends. Not that they could ever change his mind about it.

"Did you know that your little blondie's going to be there?"

Now that was news. "Would that affect my decision to not go?"

Larxene paused, mulling it over before sneering in his direction. "Well, yes, obviously," she answered, face lighting up with schemes, "So what time am I driving you there?"

--

Next chapter… sooner than the last!

-Josiy x


End file.
